Tag Archives: Invention

LEGO

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LEGO

Just add some more… and more.

  • LEGO is a construction toy consisting of interlocking building bricks and accessories.  It is extremely versatile in that it can be pulled apart and put back together an unlimited number of times, and placed together in endless ways.
  • LEGO was originally a company that made wooden toys and blocks, and was started and owned by Ole Kirk Kristiansen.
  • The original LEGO bricks were invented in 1949 and were called Automatic Binding Bricks.  They were renamed to Lego Mursten (Lego Bricks) in 1953 .
  • In 1957 an improved brick was produced, the modern LEGO brick, and was first patented on January 28, 1958.
  • The first Legoland park (a LEGO themed fun park) was opened in Billund on June 7th, 1968. Over 625, 000 people visited the park that year.

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  • Two eight stud LEGO bricks can be combined in 24 ways,  three can be combined in 1,060 ways, six can be placed together in 915, 103, 765 and eight can be put together in an almost unlimited amount of ways.
  • 36 billion LEGO bricks are manufactured every year, all of which start off as tiny plastic scraps.
  • There are over 4,200 LEGO brick elements and shapes, including minifigures (minifigs), which are LEGO sized people that can be pulled apart and reconstructed.  This does not include the wide variety of colours available.
  • 40 billion standard LEGO bricks stacked in a vertical position would be enough to reach the moon.
  • To make a LEGO set, a LEGO designer builds a virtual version on a computer and then constructs it using real bricks. This process is repeated over and over until the set is perfect.
Bibliography:
Lipkow, D 2012, The Lego Book, Dorling Kindersley, London

Playdough

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Playdough

What do you want to make?

  • Playdough is a popular modelling medium for children.
  • Home-made playdough is commonly made from flour, water, salt and oil and there are numerous recipes available including cooked, uncooked and edible playdough.
  • The first commercial version of playdough was invented by Noah McVicker and his nephew Joseph and was first manufactured in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America.
  • The McVicker’s playdough was called Play-Doh, made by a new company they called Rainbow Crafts in 1956, Play-Doh is now owned by Hasbro.
  • Originally, Play-Doh (although it wasn’t called that at the time) was manufactured to clean coal marks from wallpaper in the 1930s.

Playdough, Roses, Mushroom, Blue, Red, Green, White, Blob, Play-Doh, Ten Random Facts

  • In 1955, the McVicker’s non-toxic wallpaper cleaner was introduced to children in schools and became an almost overnight success.  Prior to this, classrooms were using much stiffer materials that were difficult to model and stained hands.
  • More than 2 billion containers of Play-Doh were sold between 1955 – 2005.
  • Petroleum has been added to manufactured Play-Doh to obtain softness qualities.
  • Play-Doh has been sold in 75 countries around the world and similar playdough products are also sold in numerous countries.
  • Approximately 100 million containers of Play-Doh are sold each year.
Bibliography:
Play-Doh 14 January 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Play-Doh>

Lolipop

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Lolipop

Suck, lick… delicious candy.

  • Lollipops are hard, flavoured sugar and corn syrup confectionery on a stick.
  • Lollipops are also known as suckers or sticky pops.
  • Lollipops are available in many sizes, shapes, colours and flavours like bubblegum and rainbow.
  • Lollipops are typically eaten at room temperature.
  • Certain lollipops have been made for those who are on a diet, said to help with weight loss.

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  • Some lollipops contain medicine, mainly for children.
  • Early lollipops were made in the Middle Ages, which essentially was boiled sugar on a stick, or with handles.
  • Although there have been several suggestions of different modern lollipop inventors between 1800-1910, George Smith is said to be the first lollipop inventor, inventing the modern lollipop in 1908, and trademarked the name in 1931.
  • George Smith named the lollipop after a popular racing horse at the time, Lolly Pop.
  • George Smith originally implemented the lollipop to be soft candy instead of hard.
Bibliography:
Lollipop 14 December 2012, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lollipop>

Pencil

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Pencil

Just need a human.

  • A pencil is a utensil that is used for writing or drawing  and includes many types like graphite, charcoal, carbon, coloured, grease and watercolour pencils.
  • Early pencils were a stylus made from a metal rod or lead.
  • In the 1500s, a great marking substance was discovered, and at the time it was thought to be a type of lead, hence the name ‘lead pencil’.   It was graphite, and most pencils have contained graphite ever since.
  • Pencils typically have a cylindrical wooden casing which helps prevent the core (or lead as it is known), generally a mixture of graphite and clay, from breaking and prevents colour transferring to hands.
  • The word ‘pencil’ comes from the Old French ‘pincel’ meaning small paintbrush.

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  • In March 1858, the first design was issued for a pencil with an eraser on the end.
  • In most countries, graphite pencils have a typical coloured outer casing.  In the United States, most are yellow, in Australia they are a red and black combination, and in Germany they are green, blue or black.
  • The largest pencil was finished in September, 2007 and measured 23 meters (76 feet) in length and 8,200 kg  (18,000 pounds) in weight.
  • Pencils come in a variety of shapes and designs, including hexagonal, cylindrical or rectangular shapes, as well as mechanical pencils with a plastic casing and propelling leads, and flexible pencils.
  • Pencils have a hardness (H) and blackness or softness (B) rating system. Adding a number in front of a H or behind a B indicates the rating of hardness or softness.
Bibliography:
Pencil 6 January 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pencil>

Windmill

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Windmill

Round and round it goes.

  • A windmill is a machine that harnesses wind energy via its sails or blades.  The sails are connected to gears and poles which turn using the wind power, to perform a task.
  • The windmill was originally made for milling grain and drawing water, but they have been used for many other purposes including the production of paper, wood sawing and to assist textile production.
  • The windmill is said to have been invented in Persia (Iran) around 8 AD.
  • The first windmills rotated horizontal sails (vanes or blades) on a vertical pole.
  • The blades of a windmill are made from a variety of materials including sail cloth spread over wooden lattice beams, wood and steel.

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  • In the 1920s, with significant improvements and the use of aeronautical principles, the power output of a windmill could reach 74, 500 watts (100 horsepower).
  • In Europe, during their peak in the 1700-1800s, it is estimated there were around 200,000 windmills.
  • Many windmills found on farms are typically wind pumps to pump water for agricultural purposes.
  • In the mid 1800s, windmills started facing a decline as steam power took over, although there are numerous windmills still in use today.
  • The use of wind energy has seen a renewed popularity, as a new type of windmill, a wind turbine, has been specifically made to create electricity.
Bibliography:
Windmill 24 December 2012, Wikipedia,
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windmill>

Tinsel

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Tinsel

Pretty! Sparkly!

    • Tinsel is a long, sparkly string that is traditionally used to decorate a Christmas tree.
    • Tinsel comes from the French word ‘estincele, meaning sparkle.
    • Tinsel was first invented in the 1610s, in Germany.
    • Tinsel was originally used to decorate sculptures and statues.
    • Tinsel was first made from shredded silver, but it lost its sparkle quickly.
Blue, Orange, Yellow, Green, Tinsel, Stars, Thin, Fat, Colourful, Ten Random Facts.

 

  • Modern tinsel is made from metallic coated glossy plastic (PVC).
  • Before the use of PVC, aluminium and other shiny metals were used to make tinsel.
  • After the use of silver, lead foil was a popular material used in tinsel but was banned due to the risk of lead posioning.
  • Tinsel is typically used at Christmas time but some celebrations in India require tinsel as well.
  • Tinsel was first designed to bring out the shine of Christmas candles.
Bibliography:
Tinsel 22 December 2012, Wikipedia,
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinsel>
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